$150 mil of aid still available

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer hasn't decided if she will accept $150 million in jobless aid that's available to Arizona through federal stimulus funds. But several other Republican governors who have spoken out against it have quietly accepted the funding.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, an outspoken critic, is one of them.

Arizona is one of 12 states that have not taken any of the additional unemployment aid. Thirty-nine others have received or are poised to receive at least some funding. The deadline to participate is August 2011.

The money would help modernize Arizona's unemployment-insurance system and it would make more people eligible for payments - up to 24,000 people each year for the next seven years. The assistance primarily would help low-wage earners, part-time workers and people who work sporadic or seasonal jobs.

To get the funds, the Legislature must loosen unemployment-eligibility requirements. Earlier this year, lawmakers declined to consider a bill to make the changes.

Brewer and the business community are worried that the changes could hurt future job creation, Governor's Office spokesman Paul Senseman said.

Each state has different financial issues, so it's unfair to compare Arizona to other states that took the money, he said. Brewer is waiting for the Legislature to act but is undecided if she will sign the law if it passes.

"What she has said," Senseman said, "is that she is considering the various circumstances behind it."

Advocates, who want Arizona to take the money, say modernizing Arizona's unemployment criteria won't trigger a tax increase on employers.

"It's an excellent deal, and that's why all these states have done it," said Maurice Emsellem policy co-director for the National Employment Law Project.

by Jahna Berry The Arizona Republic Aug. 15, 2010 12:00 AM



$150 mil of aid still available